Method of using lachrymatory agents for moisturizing the eyes

ABSTRACT

Substances, methods and devices for moisturizing the eye by stimulation of the lachrymatory glands to cause generation of tears.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/645,175 filedJan. 24, 1991, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods, apparatus and substances formoisturizing the eye and particularly to moisturizing the eye withnatural tears, i.e., by inducing natural tear production rather thanintroducing artificial tears.

Many people suffer from what is commonly known as “dry eye”. Thecondition arises from lack of sufficient tear production and results ina variety of symptoms such as burning, itching and undue sensitivity tosmoke. The condition is more common in older adults inasmuch as agradual lessening of tear production is a natural concomitant of theaging process. However, younger persons also suffer dry eye as apathological disorder and the problem is particularly acute with thewearers of contact lenses. In this case, tear production may be entirelyadequate for normal purposes but insufficient to provide adequatewetting and lubrication to permit wearing such lenses in comfort.

As any wearer of contact lenses knows, the low humidity of the averagehome or office in winter, windy days, and other ambient climatologicalconditions greatly aggravate the situation and often times precludeswearing contact lenses. With prolonged wear under drying conditions, theeye sometimes generates mucous which coats the lenses to the point thatthey can become opaque. If this occurs while the wearer is reading, say,a research paper before a learned society or making a presentation at abusiness meeting, it can be embarrassing; while driving, dangerous.

With more than discomfort involved, it is important that the eyes bequickly, easily, and effectively moisturized and there is a need to dothis without embarrassment in public places and social situations.

THE PRIOR ART

At the present time numerous eye moisturizing products are availableranging from simple artificial tears to lens clearing and lubricatingsolutions and additives calculated to “get the red out”.

While these products vary widely in effectiveness, cost and the claimsmade for them, they have one thing in common: insofar as is known, allare liquids intended for macroscopic introduction into the eye in theform of drops and are packaged either in plastic squeeze-bottle dropletdispensers or glass containers having caps fitted with an eye dropper.They are intended to be administered by tilting back one's head, puttingthe dropper nozzle over and in proximity to the eye (being careful toobserve the label warning not to touch the tip lest the contents of thedispenser become contaminated), and allow a drop or two to fall into oneeye at a time.

Another method of administration of liquid drops involves pulling downthe lower eyelid to form a pocket and placing the drops into the pocket.

With practice, some users become so proficient with one or the othertechnique that they can get a high percentage of the drops dispensed tofall into the eye. Near misses can be dealt with if tissues are handyand, if not, the drops roll harmlessly down the cheeks, the onlyoccasional casualty being smeared mascara unless of course one isfoolish enough to attempt the administration while driving!

From the foregoing it will be noted that a well-equipped wearer ofcontact lenses should carry: a lens case (to store the lenses in theevent that dryness forces their removal); a pair of correctivespectacles to substitute for the “contacts”; a bottle of eye drops; anda supply of tissues.

Those persons who do not wear or aspire to wear contact lens but havedry eye suffer only slightly fewer vexations, viz., they are notburdened with the contact wearers paraphernalia.

With the foregoing state of the art in view, it is the object of thisinvention to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of the prior artas outlined above.

A further object is the provision of methods and means for moisturizingthe eye without introducing moisturizing liquid into the eye.

Another object is to provide methods and means for inducing “dry eyes”to generate natural tear in situ. A still further object is to providemeans for moisturizing the eye which can be employed discretely andwithout attracting notice in public places.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To the fulfillment of these and other objects, the inventioncontemplates a method for moisturizing the eye by the microscopicintroduction into the eye in gaseous or vapor form, a substance causingthe generation of tears by the lachrymatory glands.

The substance is a lachrymatory agent vaporizable at room temperaturediluted to a concentration which causes tearing of the eye withoutuntoward smarting or irritation.

The invention further contemplates a device for moisturizing the eyecomprising a container having an and a closure member normally closingthe opening. Means are provided for opening the closure member and alachrymatory agent as described above is disposed in the container.

A kit comprising an amount of lachrymatory agent and means fordispensing an effective amount of said lachrymatory agent to causetears.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section on the vertical centerline, of a device for moisturizing the eye embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the structure in FIG. 1 with parts inan alternate position.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to FIG. 4 showing modifiedembodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It has been determined that the smarting and tearing effect associatedwith peeling onions is caused by propanethial-s-oxide (|40 PSO″) andrelated compounds naturally occurring in onions. (See“PROPANETHIAL-S-OXIDE”, Chemical Abstracts Registry #3215729-2). Thecompounds are quite volatile, vaporizing at room temperature. Thesecompounds, the most significant of which is propanethial-s-oxide, andother compounds having similar chemical and physical properties, viz.,lachrymatory activity and volatility, can be diluted and utilized tostimulate tearing to combat pathogenic and benign dry eye conditions.

The method of moisturizing the eye contemplated by the inventionconsists of the fundamental step of introducing into the eye, in vapor,gaseous or otherwise microscopic form, a lachrymatory compound(s)naturally occurring in onions. For the purposes of this specificationthe term microscopic is defined to encompass misting, vaporous orgaseous methods of introducing lachrymatory agents into the eye. Thelachrymatory compounds may be appropriately diluted to a concentrationthat is suitable to the individual using it. The concentration must bedetermined empirically as the strength of the compounds in onions varieswidely with the variety of onion used, growing conditions, etc. Thedesideratum is a concentration which produces sufficient tearing withoutundue burning or smarting of the eye.

The preferred composition comprises an amount of PSO and relatedcompounds to produce tears after a short exposure time. The purity ofthe compounds will have a direct effect on the production of tears. Itis preferred to use pure PSO and related compounds, although the PSO andrelated compounds may be diluted to promote the volatility of the PSO.Common pharmaceuticals adjuvants may also be added to the compositionsto produce the desired composition. Said common pharmaceutical adjuvantscan be found in Remingtons Pharmaceutical Sciences, fifth edition, byMack Publishing Company, which publication is herein specificallyincorporated by reference. The desired composition may be any that isknown to those skilled in the art and can be based on, for example, anaerosil composition employing a propellant, or a volatile compositionusing volatility enhancers, such as, for instance, ethyl alcohol.

A device for introducing the lachrymatory agent will now be describedwith reference to the drawings and, first, to FIGS. 1 to 4 showing acontainer 10 having an opening 12 at its upper end. A cap assembly 14includes a mounting band 16 tightly encircling opening 12 and a captiveclosure member 18 secured to the band by a hinge 20 consisting of astrip of flexible plastic or other material.

Closure member 18 is of the type often referred to as a “snap-cap” andis closed my means of downward finger pressure applied on its topsurface, preferably at a point diametrically opposite hinge 20. In thiscondition, the cap closes opening 12.

A radially projecting tab 22 on cap 18 facilitates opening the containerwhich is accomplished by upward pressure on the tab. Thus opening can beaccomplished with a single finger, usually the thumb, by pushing tab 22upwardly; when in the open position, shown in FIG. 4, the cap is heldcaptive by hinge 20.

Container 10 has a generally ovate cross-section as appears in FIG. 3,lending itself to a comfortable fit in the user's palm and permittingeasy removal and replacement of the cap.

Container 10 is filled to the desired level with the lachrymatory agent;preferably the agent is absorbed in a matrix of suitable absorbentmaterial such as cotton shown at 24 in FIG. 1. Whether or not a matrixis used, it is preferred that a wick 26 be disposed in the containerextending from a point at or near its bottom 28 and extending to opening12, terminating flush with the face of the opening.

To moisturize the eye, the user simply positions the opening of thecontainer close to his eye, opening the cap before or after doing so.(There is no need to tilt the head back.) The vapor from the containerenters the eye and almost immediately stimulates tear production by thelachrymatory glands. After a few moments, i.e., when the desired effectis obtained, the process is repeated with the other eye. Then the cap isreplaced and the container restored to purse or pocket.

An alternative form of the moisturizer is shown in FIG. 5 wherein thecap assembly 14′ is modified as compared to FIGS. 1-4 by thesubstitution of a spring hinge 20′ for hinge 20.

Spring hinge 20′ resiliently biases cap 18 toward its open position anda latch 30 is provided diametrically opposite the hinge. When engaged,the latch maintains the cap in closed position against the bias effectof the spring. A latch release button 32, when pressed, causes the capto snap open; it is closed by applying downward pressure on the topsurface of the cap in the same manner as the previously describedembodiment. The use of the FIG. 5 moisturizer is entirely analogous toand will be readily apparent from the above-described use of the devicein FIGS. 1-4. FIGS. 6 and 7 show further embodiments of the inventioneach including a preferably soft plastic cup-shaped member 34 and 34′,respectively, mounted on a container 10. Members 34, 34′ are configuredand dimensioned to fit over the eye and are, in use, selectively placedin flow communication with the interior of the container so as to guideand confine vapor issuing therefrom to the ocular region.

The FIG. 6 embodiment is a non-aerosol, pump-type dispenser which ejectsa measured quantity of the contents of the container 10 each time themember 34 is depressed as by finger pressure on the flat 35 providedthereon for the purpose.

FIG. 7 illustrates an aerosol-type unit in which the contents ofcontainer 10 are under pressure and a metered quantity ejected intomember 341 when a valve actuation button 36 is pressed. It will beunderstood that the construction and operation of the pump and aerosoldispensing devices per se are well known. However the substance issuingfrom the device is not an aerosol or spray but a vapor.

The use of the devices shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is completely analogous tothat of the FIG. 1-4 embodiment of the invention already describedexcept, of course, that the cup-shaped member 34, 34′ is placed over theeye before dispensing the lachrymatory vapor.

The use of a kit comprising means for dispensing lachrymatory agent andthe lachrymatory agent itself is also within the scope of thisinvention. A preferred kit would use an apparatus for dispensing saidlachrymatory agent as described above containing a lasting supply oflachrymatory agent. Such kit would be packaged in a shrink wrappedpackage or a hard plastic protection pack. The packaging material usedin the kit can be any material known to those skilled in the art. Suchmaterials can include cardboard, plastic and any combination of the two,for example.

From the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments, it will be seenthat the objects of the invention are achieved, enabling moisturizationof the eyes discretely and effectively, using a single hand, withouttilting the head or possibility of misapplication of liquid drops. Thescope of this invention is intended to include all such modificationsthat would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A kit for combating a pathogenic, benign, dry orirritated eve condition comprising; a) a container having a means forthe microscopic dispensing of propane thial-s-oxide in a dosage amounteffective to produce moisture in a mammalian eye; said container beingcapable of manipulation with a single hand; and b) an amount ofpropane-thial-s-oxide to provide a plurality of individual dosages ofsufficient strength to induce tearing in a mammalian eye.
 2. A kitaccording to claim 1 that also includes a package.
 3. A kit according toclaim 2 wherein the package comprises plastic, cardboard or acombination of plastic and cardboard.